Blog of the Vice-Chancellor of the Papua New Guinea University of Technology

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Sunday, 26 January 2014

Unitech staff want report out (Post Courier 24 Jan. 2014)

(For the record: I have never written or said anywhere I have doctorate in economics. My CV is public in my LinkedIn profile. My doctorate is in economic and business history. I know the difference, those who interviewed me apparently not.

It is just one of the silly allegations which have been made in my regard, and for which no evidence was found in the Sevua Investigation. Release the Sevua Investigation, and let those responsible for continuing this saga take political responsibility for the debacle. AS)

STAFF associations at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology are suggesting that the saga surrounding the sacking of its vice chancellor Dr Albert Schram is far from over.Dr Schram was sacked and deported after he was accused of fabricating his qualifications.

When applying for the role of vice chancellor, he stated he had a doctorate in economics and business, when in fact he had a doctorate in history, it was claimed. A commission of inquiry was established to investigate the situation.

The National Academic Staff Association and the National Staff Association, through their respective presidents Justin Kehatsin and Wilfred Pasanai, are calling for the Mark Sevua Commission of Inquiry report to be made public and are asking for Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and the Minister for Higher Education, Science, Research and Technology David Arore to take a clear stand on the matter.

The associations are also calling on the national Government to recognise and confirm the reinstatement of Dr Schram as the vice chancellor of Unitech as per the appointment by the University Council, headed by Sir Nagora Bogan as the chancellor.

They also asked that the Minister for Foreign Affairs expedite the processing of Dr Schram’s visa and work permits.

The associations are also asking the national Government to publicise whether it supports the new Unitech Council headed by Sir Nagora.

Mr Kehatsin and Mr Pasanai said the University Act stipulates that the Unitech Council is the legal body which makes appointment and hires the vice chancellor. They asked whether the Government will honour that fact.

But, the national Government soon after Sir Nagora council’s announcement stated that Dr Schram was sacked and would not to be welcomed back.

The presidents also asked for the Sevua report to be made public because it had cost the tax payers K500,000 and the Prime Minister promised that the findings would determine what decisions and actions were to be taken. Mr Kehatsin said it has been more than six months since the completion of the investigation and the report is still being kept private.

"Silence by the national Govern-ment is truly deafening and it is truly generating anxiety and cynicism among the people of Unitech," they said.

They asked whether the Prime Minister and the Minister for Higher Education have the facts before them. If so, they must tell the community of Unitech and also the PNG community at large what decisions they have formed based on the evidence and facts before them. Then University Council, now headed by Sir Nagora Bogan as chancellor, made its decision known in the last council meeting held at the Holiday Inn on the December 12 that Dr Albert Schram would be reinstated as vice chancellor.

But, the National Government stated that it had sacked Dr Schram and had him deported when he arrived back in the country to resume duties.

The after effects of Dr Schram being sacked were terrible. The head of the electrical engineering Department, Dr Narayan, was arrested and then sacked with criminal charges laid against him. Former vice chancellor Dr Misty Baloiloi and former registrar Allan Sako were also charged with fraud. The case against the trio has been dismissed by the courts and they are suing the State for defamation.

About Me

Committed to making a real difference by leading positive change in higher education.

For over 10 years
from 1993-2004, I worked in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
in the field of environmental and sustainable development policy, and
environmental economics. My research interest is the role of technology and private business in the development of countries.

As an academic I have 17 peer review publications in various humanities and social sciences disciplines, supervised 5 PhD students and 18 Masters thesis.

As a consultant I worked as head of the environmental
studies department of SIDE, S.A. a consultancy company with
office in Mexico City, San José, and Lima I worked closely together
with many government organizations and private companies. For the World Bank’s Economic Development Institute I carried out two regional studies on sustainable development policies. For the European Commission I wrote one report on corporate social responsiblity, and one on the green economy for the European External Action Service.

Currently, I am Vice-Chancellor or Chief Executive Officer of the Papua New Guinea University of Papua New Guinea, in Lae.